Child of the Wilderness
by ariekain
Summary: This takes place after the 2004 movie. It mainly centers around Erik the Phantom and Raoul, with Madame Giry and Christine taking cameos. Note: Christine is dead in this story
1. Chapter 1

Child of the Wilderness

Prologue

The Phantom of the Opera stood alone, his disfigured face revealed, watching his only love sailing away with another man. Finally, he turned away, unable to watch anymore. Taking up a golden candlestick in his hand, he smashed the three mirrors that stood in his silent prison. Staring at the ruined mirrors, Erik sighed and walked away, never return to the Opera Populaire . . .

Chapter One Their Beloved

Many years later, Erik was still alone, reviled by all who beheld him, and still forced to move from place to place. However, recent events compelled him to return to Paris, his former home. Once again masked, Erik slowly walked through all the old places that held so many memories for him, some of which were wonderful, and some were ones he only wanted to forget. His wanderings led him to a graveyard; as he passed the stationary monuments of angels and other statues, he went back in his mind. He remembered Christine Daae, the only one he had ever loved, and her beautiful voice. He remembered, with a brief surge of anger, how she had betrayed him and chosen Raoul de Chagny, who was then a young vicomte. Shaking his head, Erik looked up at the huge monolith before him. Engraved upon it was the name Christine Daae. She had recently passed, leaving her husband Raoul and two daughters, Nicole and Marie, behind. He sighed heavily, his mind filled with remembrances of the beautiful Christine. He pulled out a rose tied with a black ribbon out of his coat pocket, along with an elaborately decorated ring, which was the engagement ring that Raoul had given her. Sliding it onto the rose's stem, he placed it beside her tombstone. "Christine, I still love you." whispered Erik sadly.

"She thought of you often, always wondering where and how you were. She never forgot you." said a voice suddenly.

Turning slowly, Erik saw an old man standing beside him. For a moment, he did not recognize him, then he realized who he was. "Raoul de Chagny?". Then he saw what he held in his hands. It was the music box with the monkey on top of it. "Where did you find that?"

"It was found in the opera house, and put up for an auction. I purchased it for Christine." replied Raoul. Placing it gently in front of the grave marker, he said, "You shall never be forgotten, Christine." He then turned to Erik. "So, where have you been?"

"Everywhere but here. I have never returned here until now."

"Most of them are dead or gone. You could return."

"Has the story been forgotten, then? Does no one remember it?"

Raoul realized then that Erik was right. The story of what had taken place inside the ruined opera house had not been lost. He shook his head, and replied, "No, people still do recall it."

"Then I cannot return." said Erik.

"But why? Surely no one would recognize you."

"As long as people still know the story, they would know me. I can never live here again."

"Are you sure? Is it because of the people, or because of Christine?"

"Both."said Erik, as he turned away, to glance sadly at the stark landscape.

"I am leaving soon." announced Raoul suddenly.

"What? Where are you going?", asked Erik in surprise.

"I promised Christine that I would go to Germany and start a university in her name."

"Why in Germany?"

"It was her wish. She wanted me to ask you to come, as well. There is a surgeon there who could remove your disfigurement."

"Would you really want me to accompany you? After all, I nearly killed you."

"This was Christine's last request." replied Raoul, simply.

Erik then closed his eyes, fighting back the urge to scream out with misery. Stinging tears came, and he covered his face with his hands, unwilling to let Raoul see what had come to his eyes.

Raoul watched Erik, knowing what he was doing, and how he felt. He then realized why Christine had pitied him. He, Erik, was like a lost child, wandering aimlessly, always searching for a place to call home. As he watched him, he wondered what it felt like to be loathed and feared regardless of where one went. He knew he had to stay true to the promise e had made to Christine, no matter what misgivings he had. "Come to Germany with me, Erik. You could work at the university and teach students to sing, just as you did with Christine."

Erik looked at Raoul suspiciously. "Do you really want to help me, or are you doing this only for Christine?"

"I want to help you, Erik. Don't you want to go somewhere where you can be loved?"

Suddenly, Erik pulled off his mask and shouted, "Do you really think that anyone could ever love this? Not even Christine could!"

"Erik, she cared for you and owrried about you so much, always wondering how you were surviving. Not oncedid she express hatred towards you. She loved you, Erik!"

This time, Erik actually gave way to his pain. Screaming aloud, he tore away from Raoul, through the trees and statues, lost in his grief.

As Raoul watched him leave, his screams fading in the air, he looked up at the sky, and thoughts of the promise he had made came to his mind. He saw himself standing beside his beloved as she lay dying. Through the mists of time, he heard his past self say, "Christine, please don't leave me."

In his memory, Christine looked up at him and whispered faintly, "Raoul, it is now my time to go. But before I do, please promise me something."

"Name it, and you may be sure that I will do it."

"Build a university for me."

Despite the agonizing sorrow he felt, Raoul managed to smile at her. "Where would you like it to be?"

"In Germany, like we planned so long ago. But Raoul, I must ask you something else."

"Go on, my love."

"When you go to Germany, take Erik with you. Bring him to that surgeon there, and have him fix his face."

"Why do you ask this of me? Christine, he nearly ruined our chance at happiness!"

"I wnat to help him. I want to make sure that he is never alone again. Once his face is fixed, let him be a teacher at the university."

Raoul looked doubtfully at Christine, unsure if he should agree to her wishes. "Christine-"

"Please, Raoul! Please do this for me!" she begged, as she drew a shaky breath, looking up at him with a pleading expression in her eyes.

Knowing he could not deny her last request, he nodded. "Very well, Christine. I'll do it for you."

The Raoul from the present time shook his head, clearing away the images of that darked room from his mind. He spoke aloud, saying, "Christine, I do not think that I can fulfill my promise to you. Believe me, I tried to, but Erik will not let anyone help him. Forgive me, Christine, I do not see a way for me to do it." He turned, and walked away through the cemetery, regretting that he made a vow he could not keep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two The Lost Child

Erik tore blindly through the cemetery until he had reached its exit, not heeding the flow of hot tears that were running down his face. "Christine . . . Christine . . . " he whispered repeatedly as he wept. Suddenly his anguished flight was broken as he collided with a person who happened to be walking by.

"I am sorry, monsieur! Are you all right?" asked the old grey-haired woman that he had run into.

Erik raised his head, tears still streaming down his face. For a moment, he stared at her, uncomprehending. Then the realization of who she was hit him. "Madame Giry?"

The woman, who was indeed Madame Giry, taking in the white mask that covered his face. Suddenly she remembered who he was and gasped. "Can it be? Are you really the Phantom of the Opera?"

"It is. It is I." he replied.

A smile came onto her face, then it quickly vanished. "Then you must have heard, for why else would you have returned to Paris. Christine de Chagny is -," she stopped suddenly as he interrupted her.

"Please do not mention her name." A look of sorrow came onto Erik's face as he looked away from Madame Giry.

"I understand, Phantom."

"My name is Erik!" he shouted, suddenly and inexplicably incensed, causing bystanders to look askance at him.

Suddenly from all around them, whispers broke out. "Did you hear? She called him Phantom!"

"The Phantom of the Opera has returned!"

"He's here! He's here! Call the police!"

Erik looked around in fear; he was completely surrounded. In desperation, he shouted, "Madame Giry! Help me!"

But she could do nothing. In moments, the police had arrived and quickly apprehended Erik, who, because he was surrounded, could not escape. They dragged him away, in spite of his frantic and wild struggles. As he was taken, Madame Giry heard his anguished cry, "Madame Giry, please help me!" Then, she became aware of the townspeople that were still surrounding her.

"How do you know the Phantom?"

"Are you his friend?"

"Do you not know that he is a murderer?"

"Are you his accomplice?"

The flood of questions overwhelming her, Madame Giry screamed out, "Leave me alone!", and ran away as fast as an old woman could. Finally, once she was far away from that place, she looked down sadly, and whispered, "Erik, forgive me. I am sorry."

When the police had captured Erik, they brought him to the local jailhouse and locked him in a cell, without bothering to question him. He sat alone in his cell, shaking slightly. His cell was just like the cage he had been imprisoned in when he was young. He half-expected a scoffing, mocking crowd to come and make fun of him again. Overcome by his dark fears and grief, Erik buried his face in his hands and let the tears come again. "Christine, help me . . . I'm so afraid." he whispered as he cried, looking to all the world like a lost and abandoned child. Later that night, Erik was sleeping fitfully, mumbling disjointedly, when his cell door slammed open, causing him to jerk awake. Outside stood two guards, both of them leering scornfully at him.

"Get up!" barked one of them, a tall young man with a callous gleam in his icy blue eyes.

Erik stood hesitantly up, trying to shake off sleep. He stared anxiously at them, unsure of what they wanted.

The second guard, who was rather corpulent and red-faced, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away, all the while grunting and wheezing ominously. He pushed him into a room that had a door marked "Interrogation Room," and roughly shoved him into a chair. "Answer our questions or face a beating." growled the man.

The indifferent young man then took over the questioning. Abruptly yanking Erik's mask from his face, he barked loudly, "Who was the woman that we found you with?"

Erik, though his hands were shaking uncontrollably, said nothing, not wanting to put Madame Giry in danger.

Suddenly, the second guard ruthlessly jammed his nightstick into Erik's stomach. "Answer!" he demanded.

Erik doubled over in pain with a weak gasp. Tears came uncalled for to his eyes as he fought off unconsciousness that threatened to overwhelm him. He knew that he had little chance of lasting if his tormentors continued to torture him, but he also knew that he did not want to cause Madame Giry or anyone harm. As he continued musing despite his anguish, the second guard, tiring of the rather one-sided interrogation, brought down the butt of his nightstick onto Erik's head, sending him falling into darkness.

At that same time, away from the jail, Madame Giry was standing outside Raoul's house, frantically pounding on his door and pleading, "Monsieur de Chagny! Open up, please!"

Hearing the noise, Raoul went to the door, and opening it, saw a nearly hysterical Madame Giry standing there. "Madame Giry! What is the matter?"

"Monsieur, the police . . . The police have taken Erik!"

"What? They captured the Phantom?"

"Some townspeople spotted him talking with me, and they summoned the police! He's been arrested! Please, monsieur, do something to get him out!"

Raoul stared at the distraught woman, and asked, "Why are you so concerned about his fate?"

"Please, monsieur!" cried out Madame Giry, who was by now practically begging.

"But why?" Raoul was not trying to cause his friend any unneeded grief, he just was not sure why she wanted to help Erik.

Deciding that Raoul was not going to help her, she exclaimed, "Very well, monsieur! If you will do nothing, then I will go and help him!"

"No, madame, wait! Just tell me why you are so worried, and I will go to the jailhouse."

Madame Giry sighed heavily, and tried to calm herself. She decided to explain her reasoning to him, though she would make it very brief. "Do you remember how Erik came to live at the Opera Populaire?"

"Yes."

"Well, monsieur, I care for him! He deserves a much better life than the one he's known. Does he deserve to be in prison?"

"Well, he's murdered and committed arson."

"He has been made this way by cold and heartless people who beat him and tortured him, monsieur. How he acts is not wholly his fault. Please, monsieur, I am begging you, help him!"

"Very well, madame. I will see what I can do."

"Thank you, monsieur! Thank you!" cried Madame Giry as Raoul walked away. She sighed again, very much relieved.

Early the next morning, Raoul went over to the jailhouse. When he arrived, he took in his surroundings; there were several guards lounging around with sneers on their faces, and the whole area reeked of blood, stale sweat, and alcohol. The ground was littered with stained rags and foul-smelling garbage. The walls were literally caked with excrement, and the spots that weren't were splattered with bloodstains. It took Raoul just one glance to know that the prison was in no better condition than an old, broken-down shack would be. Carefully stepping around the refuse that was on the ground, Raoul approached one of the leering guards. "Good morning. I wish to see the prisoner known as the Phantom."

"No one is allowed to see him." came the terse reply.

Raoul held a purse full of coins out to him. "You will let me see him."

Snatching the purse away, the guard reluctantly motioned for Raoul to follow him. He led him back to where the cells were, and stopped at the very last one. "Take as long as you want." said the guard, carelessly.

"Thank you, I shall." replied Raoul.

The guard rolled his eyes in disgust, then walked away, leaving Raoul alone.

Raoul looked into the cell, and started with surprise. Erik sat thee, with bloodstains on his face and clothes. "What on earth happened to you, Erik?" he asked, quite shocked.

"Raoul?" asked Erik. "Is that you?"

"Erik, what did they do to you?"

"They interrogated me."

"And beat you, from the looks of it." A look of hatred crossed Raoul's face. "They had no right to do that to you."

Then, something inside Erik seemed to snap. He shouted, "What does it matter what they did to me? I am nothing!"

Suddenly, Raoul felt the urge to grab Erik and throttle him, which was impossible because he was behind bars. The reason for his sudden anger became apparent when he said, "Erik, were you nothing to Madame Giry? She begged me to come free you! And what of Christine? She cared for you, Phantom!"

Erik's abrupt outburst subsided, and he looked down at his hands, ashamed at how he had acted. He stood up, grasped the bars of his cell, and asked, "Raoul, will you do what Madame Giry wanted? Will you get me out?"

"That's why I came." Raoul smiled reassuringly at him. "Wait here, I will come back." He turned, and walked back to the main part of the jail.

"So, what did that filthy murderer say to you?" asked one of the guards, still with a glower on his face.

Not even bothering to satisfy him with an answer, Raoul handed him two more bags of coins. "Let him go."

"Give me two more, and I will."

Raoul scowled impatiently at him. "Take them before I change my mind and break him out myself."

"Fine. Take him and get out." said the disgruntled guard. "Here are the keys to his cell."

Raoul turned at went to get Erik. Using the keys, he unlocked the door and beckoned Erik to come out. "You are free now, Erik."

Erik started to leave, but suddenly he stopped. "I cannot go out there like this."

"Of course you cannot. That is why I brought this for you." said Raoul, handing something to him. It was a mask.

"Thank you.", said Erik, fastening the mask onto his face, overcome with surprise at the kindness Raoul was showing him.

"Now then, shall we go?" Raoul and Erik left the jailhouse behind, and boarded a waiting carriage.

As they rode along, Erik looked out the window at the passing scenery. Then he caught sight of his reflection. His face and clothes were still stained heavily with blood from the brutal beating that he had endured. "Raoul, tell me something. Did I deserve this?" he asked, gesturing to his face.

"Erik, I told you already. You did nothing to deserve such cruel treatment." However, something on Raoul's face told Erik that he was not telling him the whole truth.

"So, I did not deserve to be beaten, but I deserved to be cast into prison, is that it?"

Raoul started to say something, but Erik cut him off. "You are just like all the rest! You pretend to care for me, but in the end you fear and loath me! Stop the carriage!" Erik flung open the door, jumped out, and shouted, "You will never see me again! Do not try to come after me!" With that, he began running down the road.

Stunned by Erik's sudden departure, Raoul stared up at the sky, and spoke, "Christine, I just wnated to help him. But it seems that he is better off alone." It seemed that Erik was destined to live out his days isolated from the world, with none to comfort or care for him. Raoul sighed heavily as he continued the journey home.

Far away from where he had run away from Raoul, Erik stood alone on an empty street, unsure of here he should go. "Maybe Madame Giry will help me." he thought. "No! I don't need her! I do not need anyone! I will just go away and never return." He turned and walked off alone.

From across that street stood the very person Erik was talking about. Madame Giry had been going for a walk, when she saw him running blindly down the road. She heard all of what he had been saying, and her heart ached for him. But she knew that he, after being alone for so long, could never be truly happy living among people. Tears came to her eyes, as she thought of Erik, going through life alone and never having people to love and care for him. She wished with all of her heart that she could do something to help him, knowing that she could do nothing. By now, Erik was a mere spot in the distance; Madame Giry could hardly distinguish him from the surroundings. It seemed that he would always be alone, wandering forever, lost and lonely.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three Winter's Chill

Three months later, Erik was no longer in Paris. He was somewhere in the mountains far away from the people who loathed and feared him. Erik stared up at the great sky and shivered; it was the middle of winter and was snowing heavily, as well as being bitterly cold. He clutched a threadbare cloak tightly around him and continued his lonely journey. Suddenly, he slipped on a concealed patch of ice and landed heavily in a snowbank. A frustrated roar burst from his lips and was lost in the unforgiving environment. He closed his eyes momentarily, but then forced himself to open them and keep going, knowing that to fall asleep in such treacherous temperatures would mean his death. Standing up, he brushed off the snow that was covering him, and looked around. Suddenly, he noticed a familiar rock formation on the path ahead. Glancing around, he saw familiar landmarks all around him. Despair flooded over him; he had been going in circles, and was now completely and utterly lost. It was then that he knew that this mountain would become his grave; he was sure that he would die up here without anyone knowing or even caring. Thoughts of Christine flooded his mind, and bitter tears streamed from his eyes, almost instantly freezing on his face. He thought of her, knowing that he would soon be with her again; he smiled, anticipating leaving the world that had caused him so much grief and fear. Until that time, he forced his near-frozen body to continue moving. Three hours later, his strength finally gave out, and with a painful gasp, fell and passed out, landing heavily in the snow.

Suddenly, Christine appeared in Erik's mind, concern in her eyes and yet a smile on her face. She beckoned to him, saying, "Erik, do not give up! Come to me, I can save you!"

He saw himself as though watching from a stranger's perspective trying to stretch out his hand to her, but for some reason he could not, and cried out to her in misery, "Christine, please help me!"

Still smiling her beautiful smile, she said, "Reach out your hand to me, Erik! I know you can do it! Reach out to me!"

Straining to reach her, a pain filled expression on his face, Erik whispered as he weakened, "I cannot . . . Christine, I cannot!"

Tears came to Christine's eyes as she began drifting slowly towards him. Her voice echoed as she called, "Erik . . . Erik . . . Hold on . . . " She continued to come closer, until she was near enough to reach him. Grasping his hand and pulling him to his feet, she cried out, "Come with me, Erik! I will bring you home!"

"Christine, I have no home." protested Erik feebly.

Christine's eyes softened, and she smiled gently at him. "Yes, you do, Erik. Come, we shall go there."

"I'm so tired, Christine. Why can I not just stay here, with you? Do I have to leave?"

"Now is not your time, Erik. Now, come with me." Not giving him any chance to say anything, she tightened her grip on his hand and led him to a tunnel of pure white light. "Step into the light, Erik."

Suddenly finding that all his feelings of weakness had vanished, Erik did as she asked, and found himself being pulled away from Christine. Unwilling to go, he tried to hold on, shouting her name.

Christine's image began to fade, but her voice rang out clearly. "Return to life, Erik, and live for me! Live!"

"Christine, don't leave me!"

"I still care for you, Erik! Do not forget me! Goodbye!", she called, finally fading completely from sight.

Erik floated into the tunnel of light, tears streaming down his face. Then he opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying down, with two people standing by him.

"Madame Giry! He is awake! He lives!" shouted a voice suddenly.

"Is it true, monsieur? He is truly alive?" asked a second voice.

For a moment, Erik stared at them, not recognizing who they were. Finding his voice again, Erik asked suspiciously, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Erik, do you not remember us?" asked the second voice. It belonged to a woman, and seemed to be very familiar to him.

Then he realized who she was. "Madame Giry?"

"Erik . . . It is I."

He felt something wet falling onto him. Madame Girl was crying, and her tears were dripping onto his face. "Where am I? Why are you crying?"

"You are at my home." replied the first voice, which belonged to a man. "And she is crying because we feared you to be dead."

"Raoul? Is that you?"

"Yes."

"How did I get here?"

"You were found in the mountains, half-frozen. Travellers found you and brought you back to Paris. You nearly died."

"Raoul . . . Raoul . . . "

"What is it, Erik?"

"She came to me. Christine came to me!"

"What?"

"I saw her! I spoke to her!"

"Erik, she is gone."

A brief surge of anger welled up in Erik. He shouted again in a frustrated attempt to make Raoul understand. "I saw her, Raoul! She told me not to give up, and that it was not my time to die! She told me to live for her!"

Hearing what Erik had said, Raoul finally understood. Christine had come to him, and she had spoken to him. She had been the one who was responsible for saving Erik. "You are right, Erik. She saved you."

Remembering what Raoul had told him once, Erik said, "You were right all along, Raoul. She did care for me. She cared enough to come from beyond the grave to save me."

A few weeks later, Erik was fully recovered; he was still living in Raoul's house because he had nowhere else to go. But then, the day finally came when Raoul announced his plans to move to Germany. Erik remembered Raoul's offer for him to come with him, and he decided then that he desired to go. Turning to Raoul, who was standing next to him, he asked, "Raoul, will you still let me come with you?"

"Of course!" replied Raoul. "There is no reason at all for me to refuse you."

"I would like to be a teacher at Christine's university."

Raoul smiled at him and replied, "You would be very good at it. But what of your face?"

"I will have the surgery done."

"I will be glad to have a friend journey with me."

When he heard Raoul say the word friend, a warm emotion rose up in Erik. "Thank you, Raoul my friend."


End file.
